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WCM-Q Celebrates Class of 2019

Graduating students in Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar's Class of 2019.All photos: John Samples

Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar added 49 new doctors—12 of whom are Qatari—to the medical profession during commencement on May 8.

The graduates in the Class of 2019 received their Cornell University medical degrees in front of Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, vice chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, family, friends and WCM-Q faculty. WCM-Q, a Qatar Foundation partner university, has produced 384 new doctors since the first graduation ceremony in 2008.

“Graduation is the culmination of everything that we at WCM-Q strive for, both as faculty and as students, and it is the highlight of the academic year,” said Dr. Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCM-Q. “Becoming a physician is no easy task, and the Class of 2019 have demonstrated great commitment to their studies, intellectual curiosity and compassion for their patients. These qualities will develop as they progress through their careers and I look forward to seeing many of them working in hospitals in Qatar, healing the sick, sharing their wisdom with future generations and contributing to building the country’s world-class healthcare system in line with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.

Members of the Class of 2019 swear the Hippocratic Oath. Click photo to view the full Qatar Commencement Flickr gallery.

“Everyone at WCM-Q is confident that these new doctors will be wonderful ambassadors for the college, for Qatar Foundation and for the entire nation,” he added, “demonstrating Qatar’s commitment to unlocking human potential to the whole world.”

The graduates will now embark on the next stage of their careers, taking up residency positions at elite-level healthcare institutions in Qatar and the United States, such as Hamad Medical Corporation, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Johns Hopkins Medicine. There, they will pursue specialties including internal medicine, neurology, pediatrics and general surgery.

Student speaker and Class of 2019 graduate Dr. Moaz Abdelrehim said he had huge respect for the compassion of his fellow graduates.

“It is truly an honor to be graduating alongside a group of doctors, but more importantly people, as caring as you are,” he said. “To willingly wake up each morning in pursuit of a career that confronts suffering on a regular basis and demands substantial amounts of self-sacrifice is truly amazing. And now as we each go on to pursue our residencies or our research, our white coats will become longer and heavier because of the growing commitments and the self-sacrifice required by this profession.”

Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, spoke about the importance of lifelong learning.

“To have the greatest impact, and to really help your patients the most, you’ll need to keep learning. Today you walk out of those doors as doctors, but your education does not stop here,” he said, also thanking the leadership of Qatar and Qatar Foundation for their commitment for medical education. “As you go forth as new physicians, I urge you to remember the lessons you’ve learned here at Weill Cornell Medicine, as well as the friends and colleagues you’ve made. They will sustain you as you find your own path and your own way to Care, Discover and Teach.

“I wish you all the best,” he said, “and want you to know that you will always have a home at Weill Cornell Medicine.”